Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at 20: an unflinching meditation on love and memory

By Jane Steventon, University of Portsmouth

This article contains spoilers.

Heartbreak is a universal experience. When a heart breaks, we vacillate between hope and fear, anger and denial and a thousand fragmentary moments of grief. Uninvited memories persistently invade our days: memories of what was, what could have been and what will never be.

When writing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Charlie Kaufman could not have known about the seismic impact of social media in years to come. How we now lurk on our former lovers’ profiles, view their photos, analyse their posts and remove images – metaphorically wiping the slate clean and willingly deleting our past.

This relatable angst of ridding ourselves of past memories of heartbreak is the premise of director Michel Gondry’s masterpiece, which is 20 years old this week.

With a non-linear narrative steering a rollercoaster script, this quirky, nebulous, joyous then rueful story is not for those who like their love stories simple. Gondry’s emotive film dares to confront the not so happy-ever-afters in a dark fairy tale which meditates on love and memory and the discombobulation of a broken heart.

We first meet Joel (Jim Carrey) as he abandons his daily commute for the opposite platform, to catch a train heading for the coast. It’s there, on a desolate grey beach, that he first sees Clementine (Kate Winslet), with her colourful blue hair. She introduces herself on the return journey with a sharp punch to the arm and a direct, unflinching intensity.

Shy, insular Joel is hooked and so are we. With the meet-not-so-cute established, the whirling storyline begins to loop and bend around time. Is this the beginning of the love story, or the end?

https://youtu.be/07-QBnEkgXU?si=gulQzwVrXbqd87eK

Can’t get you out of my head

We duly witness Joel’s agony and ecstasy through a collection of memories which ultimately end with the loss of Clementine. With her gone, Joel’s life loses its colour and verve.

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